How 'Bout a Change of Scene?
by vanillashades
Summary: Anna is about to start a new life as a newsie. Not a fluffy love story, not an especially humorous tale, but one you may like if you wish that there had been a girl newsie in the movie.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone. :) This is my first fanfiction. It's mostly just a little something to combat boredom, and to provide a little writing practice. I'm not making any promises, this could be a long story, could be a short story, could never be updated again. It all depends on what you guys think, how many ideas I have, and how my life goes. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter.

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"But...why?" Anna Mills sputtered, looking down at the ticket to New York Mr. Mercer had just given her.

"'Cause I like you, kid." He said with a smile. "And you've been a big help to me. Now go on, pack your things, you've got a train to catch!" Anna looked up, and, unable to utter a word, flashed him a wide smile before racing up the stairs to her small room.

Once she was settled on the train, Anna took a moment to catch her breath. She had almost missed the train. It was hard to say goodbye to Mr. Mercer, the kind grocer who she'd been staying with, and his daughter, Jill. Anna had been living with the Mercers for as long as she could remember. They had taken care of her since her mother died, and in return, she helped them run their shop. But now Anna was almost fifteen years old, and she was longing to get out of the small town and start to do something on her own. Mr. Mercer took notice of this, and as a reward for all her hard work, he bought her a train ticket to New York.

"Man-hattan!" The conductor bellowed. "MAN-hattan!" Anna sat up quickly and shook her head, in an attempt to wake herself fully.

"Oh, that's me!" Anna called. She gathered her bags and made her way to the front of the train. When she was out of the station, she stood in the middle of the street and contemplated where to go next. She heard her stomach growl and realized she was starving, so she found a bench, sat down, and opened her one small bag. Inside, next to her Bible, a change of clothes, and her locket with the picture of her mother, was a package with a few sandwiches and an apple. Anna ate half of one sandwich, and then continued on her way. She heard voices coming from a building around the corner, so she started heading towards it, hoping she might find a place to stay or a job.

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As Anna rounded the corner, the building came into view. She saw at least 100 boys, of all ages, waiting in a line. At the front of the line was a tall, brown-haired young man that looked to be about seventeen. He had an arrogant look to him that Anna found annoying right away, but, since he seemed to be a sort of leader in this group, she decided to approach him about what was going on. She waited until he turned around and started heading toward her, and when he did, she saw that he was holding a thick stack of newspapers. When he saw her, he looked surprised for a moment, but his expression quickly changed into a smirk.

"Can I help you, miss? This ain't really a place for a _lady_ like you." He said sarcastically.

Anna was shocked. No one had ever called her a "lady" before. "Uh..." she said.

"Would you like to buy a paper?" He asked, pasting a huge fake smile on his face.

Anna shook her head. "No...thank you."

"Well, then, I gotta be going. 'Scuse me." The boy walked past her and started out toward the street.

"Wait!" Anna said. "Wait!" She caught up with him and he frowned a little, irritated.

"Look, I got business to do, okay?"

"Well, you don't have to be so rude." Anna said, taking offense. "I just wanted to ask you what this place was, what you were all waiting for."

"Ain't it obvious? This is the circulation office, we're buyin' our papes." The boy started to walk away, as if this was the end of the conversation, but Anna persisted.

"Oh, you're newsboys. I see. Well, is there any chance I could get a job selling...papes?"

The boy stopped and looked at Anna in disbelief for a moment, then snorted and started to walk again. "You, a newsie?"

"What, you don't think I could do it?"

"No, actually, I don't. Anyway, don't you have school to go to or somethin'?"

"No. I just moved here, from Virginia. I was hoping to get a job. My name's Anna. Anna Mills."

"Jack Kelly."

"It's very nice to meet you, Jack." _Or something like that_, Anna thought to herself.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, look, there's no "gettin' a job" about it. You got money?"

"A little."

"Well, then you can buy papes."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for all the great reviews! They really made me want to write another chapter. :)

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That morning, Anna sold four papers. And she had been lucky to sell those. By lunchtime, she was tired, hot, and frustrated, and when Jack proposed that they meet the group at Tibby's Diner, she happily accepted.

The bell jingled as Anna and Jack entered the diner, and immediately shouts of "Heya Jack!" and "Who's this?" filled the air.

"Fellas, this is Anna. She's new around here, she wants to be a newsie." He said with his signature smirk. "Anna, this is..." and he went on to rattle off a long list of names, pointing to one of the surrounding newsies as he said each one.

"Hello." Anna said with a small smile. It was a bit overwhelming, meeting so many people at once. But the boys were nice enough, and soon Anna felt more at ease.

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"So, where are you plannin' to stay?" Jack asked Anna later.

"Um, I don't know, really...I guess I was hoping someone might have a suggestion." Anna replied, frowning a little.

"Well, there is a boardinghouse down the street from the lodging house." Jack offered. "It ain't nothin' fancy, but it's a place to stay. I'll show you where it is, if you want."

"Sure! Thank you." Anna brightened.

By that night, Anna had a room of her own at Mrs. Finster's boardinghouse. It took nearly all her money to pay for the week, but she wasn't worried. She was determined that her selling skills would improve. Jack had agreed to sell with her for a while, and show her the ropes, but, he added, "Not for too long. I can't really be helping my competition."

As she crawled into bed, Anna thought about Jack, the newsies, New York, and how different they were from the people and places she was used to. For the first time that day, she felt a little homesick.

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I'm sorry, I know, this is an incredibly short and pointless chapter. But I really didn't have many ideas, and just wanted to get another chapter out. And it's gotta be kind of slow in the beginning. I'm running out of ideas already. I never knew where I was headed with this story, and still don't. I'd be happy to receive any you have.


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